Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, Feb. 19 - 25, 2015
LOCAL NEWS
Page 11A
Lithonia residents talk homeownership with UGA students
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Members of the Univer
sity of Georgia football team
came to Lithonia Feb. 16 to
find out from renters about
community needs and bar
riers to homeownership in
the city.
The meeting was one of
four community input ses
sions the city and students
from the university are host
ing to increase homeowner
ship in the city. The session
will help identify needs of
the residents, and how to
strengthen the community.
Lithonia Mayor Debo
rah Jackson said the city is
a participant in the Georgia
Initiative for Community
Housing. When UGA sent
out a request for ideas and
activities with communities,
Jackson said she submitted
an idea of helping city offi
cials understand why people
were not pursuing home-
ownership opportunities.
“We put together a scope
of work that includes stu
dents from the class doing a
series of focus group just to
understand why people are
not looking at [homeowner
ship] . If they don’t know, if
they haven’t thought about
it, if they think they’re not
qualified, if they know about
the different programs that
are available—such as down
payment assistance,” Jackson
said. “We really are interest
ed in being able to increase
the percentage of people
who are actually homeown
ers within the city.”
Jackson said more than
65 percent of the residents
are renters.
“That’s a very high
number,” she said. “We re
ally want to see if there are
any specific barriers that
exist that we might be able
to address to decrease that
number.”
The students asked the
six residents in attendance
various questions about the
city, and what the city needs
to improve. Dr. Kim Sko-
bba, the students’ professor,
said she and another pro
fessor started teaching the
service learning class nearly
three years ago.
“We decided it would
be a great opportunity to
partner undergraduates
from UGA with the Georgia
Initiative for Community
Housing,” Skobba said. “It’s
sort of a win-win. It gives
the students some skills to
work on real-life projects
and help the communities to
advance their goals.”
After the four sessions,
the students will analyze
the responses and develop a
resource guide that will be
available to let people know
the different programs that
exists about homeowner
ship.
“We’ll be able to use that
information to do a home
ownership fair later this
year,” Jackson said.
University of Georgia students takes notes as Lithonia residents talk about pros and cons of the city. Lithonia
partnered with UGA to find out from renters about community needs and barriers to homeownership in the city.
Photos by Carla Parker
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The Mayor and City Council of the City of Chamblee, Georgia will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 12, 2015, at the Chamblee Civic
Center, 3540 Broad Street, Chamblee, GA 30341 at 6:00 p.m. to receive public comments regarding the following matters:
2015PUD-03: Doug Day, on behalf of Trinity Development and the Development Authority of DeKalb County, requests approval of a Planned
Unit Development and a Development of Community Impact as provided in Section 207 of the City of Chamblee Code of Ordinances, Appendix
A, Zoning Ordinance in order to redevelop a 18.2-acre site consisting of DeKalb County tax parcels 18-308-05-008 and 18-308-05-029 including
Chamblee Plaza at 5544 and 5560 Peachtree Boulevard in Chamblee, GA. The subject property is zoned Corridor Commercial (CC).
2015V-02: Du Ping, on behalf of Magnum Plaza, LLC requests variances from the following provisions of the City of Chamblee Code of Or
dinances, Appendix A, Zoning Ordinance in order to redevelop an existing restaurant property zoned Village Commercial (VC) and located at
2390 Chamblee-Tucker Road, being tax parcel 18-3298-05-028 in Chamblee, GA:
Sec. 1201.A.l and 904.A.2 to allow parking in front of the building
Sec. 1205.D. that requires a 5 ft. planted strip between rows of head-to-head parking stalls
Sec. 902. A. that requires a 5-ft. sidewalk along the frontage of Cumberland Drive
Sec. 902. A. that requires a 8-ft. sidewalk along the frontage of Chamblee-Tucker Rd.
Sec. 902.B. that requires a 5 ft. landscape zone planted along the frontage of Cumberland Dr.
Sec. 902.B. that requires a 7 ft. landscape zone planted along the frontage of Chamblee-Tucker Rd.
Sec. 902.D.l that requires street trees planted 50 ft. on center in the landscape zone on the frontage of Chamblee-Tucker Rd.
Sec. 902.D.l that requires street trees planted 50 ft. on center in the landscape zone on the frontage of Cumberland Dr.
Sec. 902.D.9 that requires pedestrian streetlights 50 ft. on center in the landscape zone on the frontage of Chamblee-Tucker Rd.
Sec. 902.D.9 that requires pedestrian streetlights 50 ft. on center in the landscape zone on the frontage of Cumberland Dr.
Sec. 1202.H. that require sidewalk connections from buildings to parking lots and from buildings to the sidewalks along the adjacent streets.
Sec. 1202.D that prohibits access from Chamblee-Tucker Rd. when access can be achieved via a secondary street.
Sec. 908.A.3. that requires interparcel connections with adjacent parcels.
Sec. 908.D.4 that requires loading docks to be screened from view from public streets
Sec. 1005. A.l that requires that no more than 35 percent of a combination of the side and rear yards may consist of concrete, asphalt or gravel
driveway or parking area and the remaining percentage shall be grass or landscaped areas.
Sec. 1205.E that requires a 5 ft. pedestrian walkway along the front of all buildings for the purpose of allowing pedestrians to walk from the park
ing facility to the building in safety.
Mr. Ping also requests a waiver of Chapter 34 Environment, Sec. 34-902 of Chamblee City Codes for the same property. Said provisions require
developments with more than 10,000 sq. ft. of land disturbance to provide a stormwater management plan for design, construction and mainte
nance of on-site stormwater management facilities meeting certain performance criteria for water quality and water quantity.
2015V-03: Darron Kusman, on behalf of Roma Ventures requests variances from the following provisions of the City of Chamblee Code of Or
dinances, Appendix A, Zoning Ordinance in order to develop a subdivision consisting of 4 single-family residential lots on 1.4 acres of property
zoned Neighborhood Residential -1 (NR-1) located at 3062 Park Lane and 3114 Skyland Drive being tax parcels 18278 03 127 and 18278 03 121
in Chamblee, GA:
Sec. 1004 Space Dimensions - to reduce the minimum required width of Lot 1 from 60 ft. to 58 ft. wide at the building line; and
Sec. 1004 Space Dimensions - to reduce the minimum required side yard setbacks of Lots 1, 2, and 3 from 10 ft. to 7 ft.
Mr. Kusman also requests approval of a common driveway for the subject property as provided in Section 1202.G.that states that “a common oi
joint driveway may be authorized by the city, utilizing the criteria set forth in Section 208.”
2015V-04: Tony Stephens, on behalf of St. Pius X Catholic High School requests variances from the following provisions of the City of Cham
blee Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Zoning Ordinance in order to provide for a surface parking lot on vacant property consisting of 4.34 acre;
zoned Corridor Commercial (CC) at 2792 Shallowford Road, being DeKalb County tax parcel 18-245-25-035 in Chamblee, GA:
Section 803.A. to allow a 8 ft. tall fence in the front yard where fences are limited to 42” in height.
Section 1205.A. that requires landscaped islands for every 10 parking spaces.
Section 1205.D. that requires a 5-ft landscape strip between rows of head-to-head parking stalls; and
Section 1201.A.1 that prohibits automobile parking to be located between a building and a street without an intervening building.
2015V-05: Linda Sims, on behalf of United States Gypsum Company, requests variances from the following provisions of the City of Chamblee
Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Zoning Ordinance in order to provide for a paved surface parking lot on undeveloped property consisting of
1.984 acres zoned Industrial Transitional (IT) at 4899 New Peachtree Road, being DeKalb County tax parcel 18-278-03-101 in Chamblee, GA:
1201. l.A. that prohibits off-street surface parking located between a building and the street without an intervening building, and
1205. A. that requires one landscape island for every ten parking spaces and that such island shall be planted with an overstory tree.
Text amendment to the City of Chamblee Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, “Zoning Ordinance”, Article VI., to repeal in its entirety Section
617. “Institutional uses and places of worship.”
2015V-06: G. Douglas Dillard of Pursley Priese Torgrimson, on behalf of Talon DN investments I, LLC, requests variances from the follow
ing provisions of the City of Chamblee Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Zoning Ordinance in order to provide for a Bojangles Restaurant on
property consisting of 6.46 acres zoned Corridor Commercial (CC) at 3979 Buford Highway, being DeKalb County tax parcel 18-236-05-017 in
Chamblee, GA:
Sec. 902. A. that requires a 10-ft. sidewalk along the frontage of Buford Highway.
Sec. 902.B. that requires a 10 ft. landscape zone planted along the frontage of Buford Highway.
Sec. 902.D.l that requires street trees planted 50 ft. on center in the landscape zone on the frontage of Buford Highway.
Sec. 902.D.9 that requires pedestrian streetlights 50 ft. on center in the landscape zone on the frontage of Buford Highway.
Sec. 908.D. that requires dumpsters shall be placed in the rear yard and may be located five feet from the property line if the adjoining property is
zoned nonresidential and five feet from all applicable buffers if the adjoining property is zoned residential.
Sec. 1202.E. that prohibits Driveways between the sidewalk and a building, and shall be perpendicular to any adjacent street.
Sec. 1203.L that requires one space per 100 square feet of gross floor area for restaurants.
Sec. 1307.B. that limits one principle building sign on each street frontage with a curb cut.